In a large pot over medium heat, bring the milk, cream and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to curdle (about 2 minutes).

Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let the cheese curds drain, at room temperature, for one hour. You can save the water the strains out – it’s loaded with protein and apparently you can add it to soups or anything else that calls for water or stock.

The original recipe said to whip the ricotta with olive oil and salt and pepper in a blender. I did not do this – I couldn’t be bothered. I’m sure it would taste amazing, but to be honest, this cheese is good as is. I just drizzled it with olive oil and topped with fresh ground pepper, then served with a really nice whole wheat ciabatta bread and tomatoes.

This reminded me of a dish i haven’t had in about more than 20 years or so; “dulce de leche”. If the milk (when I was child) ever turned sour you made “dulce de leche”. You added loads of sugar and cinnamon sticks. Or, you used lemons juice to sour the milk and just cook with the sugar and spices!!! I think I have a craving for it and am goin to cook some today!!!

Just wondering how much this usually makes and if it’s something that could be stuck in the freezer for later. It looks totally delicious and will be trying it asap!! Thanks for the beautious photos and the easy to follow instructions!

This is a really good recipe on how to make ricotta, it reminds me of cuajada a cheese that the older women in my family make. It’s a typical “light” cheese like ricotta, that many latin countries make. Now I want to make this and some cuajada 🙂

Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it. I have a question though…
How do you know when the milk is curdling? Do you wait to pour it over the cheese cloth until the ricotta is the consistency we can see in the last picture? Or does the picture describe what the ricotta will look like after it has sat and strained?

Hi! The milk will curdle almost instantly – you’ll notice because you’ll see a slight yellow color and a non-homogeneous texture. Just cook for a minute or two, then strain. The longer you strain it (I strained for several hours), the stiffer the cheese will be. If you only strain for an hour or so, you’ll have something closer to cottage cheese.

Never tried it on a toast. Looks delic!!! And yes, making Ricotta is so easy!!! And the final product costs a fraction of what you’d pay at Whole Foods!!!! I usually make mine with buttermilk but I have decided to experiment with various souring agents (lemon juice, vinegar, etc…) I posted pictures from my experiment on my blog: http://cuceesprouts.com/2011/04/homemade-farmers-cheese/